Review: Crafthouse Cocktails Coffee Old Fashioned

There is a lot to like about Crafthouse Cocktails Coffee Old Fashioned on paper. At 51.2 proof and $40, let us see if it lives up to expectations.

A blend of 2–5-year-old whiskeys from Traverse City Whiskey Co., bitters from Chicago’s Dark Matter Coffee, and spices and cacao from Chicago and Mexico-based Sleep Walk Chocolateria; 51.2 proof; about $40. I can’t judge this like a regular whiskey in the glass because it’s a batched cocktail. But if you’re interested in what it looks like in my glass, it looks like Coke that’s had ice melted in it–sort of a flat brown. Or like an iced coffee without the ice (I tried this neat, but slightly chilled). I really wanted to like this because of the apparent integrity and pedigree of the company and those who founded it. Also, it would make the first pre-made cocktail that I enjoyed. But this tastes off, somehow, to me. As much as I wish it did taste like an Old Fashioned, it does not. To me, it tastes like coffee that someone snuck whiskey into and then you wandered away from your mug and allowed it to get cold. Maybe if you like a boozy iced coffee (try drinking this over ice at first like they recommend) this is totally your jam. But this just tastes sort of stale and old to me. Nutrition experts like to say that frozen or canned veggies are just as good or even better than fresh. I feel like the same sort of preservation methods just don’t work well for cocktails for me. I want them fresh. Final Thoughts: I respect what they’re doing, and the fact they’ve been around a decade means they’re doing something right, but pre-made dranks are just not for me. Plus I got coffee burps which was unpleasant. Editor’s Note: This whiskey was either bought as a sample by Whiskeyful or provided to us as a review sample by the party behind it. Per our editorial policies, this in no way influenced the outcome of this review.

The Bottom Line

Crafthouse Cocktails Coffee Old Fashioned is worth a try if it crosses your path. It may not redefine the category, but it has enough going on to keep things interesting.